Dozens die in Azerbaijan Airlines crash
Dozens of people have died after a plane carrying 67 people crashed in Kazakhstan, local officials said.
Authorities in Azerbaijan, where the flight took off, say there are at least 30 survivors.
Azerbaijan Airlines flight J2-8243 caught fire during an emergency landing near the Kazakh city of Aktau.
The flight was bound for Grozny, Russia but was diverted due to fog, the airline told the BBC.
Video confirmed by the Reuters news agency shows the plane descending at high speed, with its landing gear down.
After a few seconds, it is seen trying to fall to the ground, and a huge fire broke out.
The airline said the plane “made an emergency landing” about 3km (1.9 miles) from Aktau.
It took off from Azerbaijan’s capital Baku at 03:55 GMT on Wednesday, and crashed at around 06:28, according to data from flight-tracking website Flightradar24.
There were 62 passengers and 5 crew on board the Embraer 190, said the Ministry of Transport.
Most of the people on board were Azerbaijanis, but there were also passengers from Russia, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan.
Of the 25 known survivors, 22 were taken to the hospital, the emergency department said.
Unverified video showed emergency workers pulling people out of the rubble and survivors crawling out.
Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan have launched an investigation into the cause of the accident. Embraer told the BBC it was “ready to assist all relevant authorities”.
The BBC has contacted Azerbaijan Airlines for comment.
The plane involved was an Embraer E190, the Brazilian company is a smaller rival to Boeing and Airbus, traditionally with a strong safety record.
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